Friday, January 30, 2009

Eat Dinner and Watch a Show at Chanhassen Dinner Theater

By Doug Schlette

Dinner and a show has been popular in the United States since the first dinner theater opened in 1962. 40 year old Chanhassen dinner theater started only a few years after the first and continues to entertain people in 2009. The theater stages a variety of top notch plays throughout the year.

There are multiple spaces in the theater. There are many dining and show spaces throughout the 90,000 sq. ft. complex. The largest room is the Main Dinner Theater. The capacity is 541 people. Meals are served to these people while they enjoy the show. Other theaters include the Fireside Theater where guests watch a play after dining in a separate room, and the Playhouse Theater which is the smallest theater in the facility. There is also a Director's Room which overlooks the Main Dinner Theater in what is this facility's version of a sports stadium sky box. People can enjoy private meals while watching the play. On site are also facilities for weddings, as well as both a pub and a lounge.

The Playhouse Theater has its own special story. That theater began hosting the play 'I Do! I Do!' in 1971. The run lasted all the way to 1993. To top off 22 years of entertaining there, the play boasted the same cast from opening day to the last curtain call. Chanhassen built it's fame on that play with 700,000 total viewers, 125 watching at a time.

Throughout its history Chanhassen has displayed some very well known shows. From May of 2003 to June of 2004 Sound of Music played a repeat performance there. Camelot has been there, as have Annie Get Your Gun and The Music Man. The main theater hosted each of these. Some of the other rooms have their share of well known titles like The Sunshine Boys and On Golden Pond. As the titles show, everything from big productions to smaller pieces show at Chanhassen. Good food and excellent shows make it a landmark in the Twin Cities.

People often travel there specifically to see the Chanhassen Dinner Theater. There are plenty of hotels for visitors. You can find out more information about this historic dinner theater at the Chanhassen's website.

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